Page 22 of Ava’s Legacy of the Dragons (Of Dragons, Love, and Destiny #1)

Acracking sound startled Ava awake. Darkness enveloped her. Was it already night? She had only meant to lie down for two hours in the late afternoon.

But something else flooded her with adrenaline within milliseconds: The gentle shimmer of the dragon egg wasn't visible on the ceiling, and Lilly, who was supposed to have been on watch duty, was lying next to her, snoring softly.

"Calm down," a deep voice murmured.

Startled, Ava turned to the side, fists raised, whereupon Kilian lifted his hands defensively.

"Easy, it's just me."

She could see the faint outline of the dragon fighter's large body in the dark cave.

Her eyes quickly adjusted to the low light due to the shock, allowing her to make out his face.

His far too handsome face. His pronounced cheekbones would have made him look aristocratic if his dark hair hadn't been so disheveled.

"Where's the egg?"

"I spread a blanket over it, otherwise the bright glow would give you away. It shines like a lantern."

Ava felt around in the darkness until she sensed the curve of the shell, and she lifted the blanket on one side. Kilian was right. The egg shone brighter than a thousand-watt string of lights, so she quickly let the fabric slide back over it to keep it hidden.

"Is it so bright because of the cave?"

Kilian nodded. "It will hatch soon."

The thought made her smile. What would happen when the little one broke through the shell? What would it look like? Like a chick?

Ava sighed in joyful anticipation of this magical experience, noticing that the warrior hadn't taken his eyes off her. "What are you doing here anyway? I thought it would be too conspicuous if the country's most popular dragon fighter left his fans."

Amused, he raised his dark eyebrows. "You've only just woken up and you're already ready for battle?"

"I know how to defend myself."

He leaned forward slowly. "What are you defending yourself against so fiercely?"

Caught off guard, her heart skipped a beat, but she maintained her composure.

Which was apparently only moderately successful, as she saw a grin playing on his lips.

No doubt about it, he was aware of his effect on women.

But would've had to have been blind not to see how the ladies threw themselves at his feet.

To make her opinion clear, she looked at him steadily. "I'm defending myself against being patronized."

"Highly commendable."

Was he flirting with her? And was she flirting back? She averted her gaze resolutely and rubbed her arms. It was entirely unwise to get more closely involved with him. After all, she would soon return to her world, and she didn't want a relationship. "What time is it anyway?"

"Just after midnight."

"Why aren't you lying in bed?"

"You surely meant to say 'in your bed,' right?"

She laughed involuntarily but didn't answer, which made him smile as well.

"I told her I'd come by." He nodded towards Lilly.

"Which was apparently sensible, seeing how well our watch system works.

" She looked at the little girl, who was sleeping deeply and soundly.

They had agreed that the girl should wake Ava by evening at the latest, which she obviously hadn't done.

Either she had wanted to keep watch through the night herself or hadn't even lasted until evening.

"I won't argue with that, especially since it was amusing to watch you sleep."

He had watched her sleep? How long had he been there and... watched over them?

He leaned forward, his voice lowered. "Let's go to the cave entrance so we don't wake her. I need to talk to you."

When she nodded, he placed his hand on her lower back. She enjoyed the touch, even though she knew it was unwise.

The moon shone brightly and illuminated the entrance of the cave, where they sat down and looked at the sky.

The firmament was studded with stars. Inevitably, she thought of the flight they'd taken on the dragon and how close she and Kilian had been.

Her gaze fell on his hand, which he had placed right next to hers.

Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around her raised knees. "What's this about?"

Kilian kept his focus on the forest, then turned to her after some time. "According to the prophecy and your appearance, you come from another world. I don't know what ties bind you to it, but you should consider staying here."

She lifted her eyebrows in surprise. He wanted her to stay? Did his intense looks mean something? Nonsense. She, a completely normal woman from another world, was certainly nothing more than a plaything for this Casanova!

Why else would he try to dissuade her from leaving? She was overcome with nervousness, which she didn't want to show him. So she put up the wall that she had been building for years, ever higher and more unshakeable, and pushed all her emotions behind it. "Why should I?"

"You're the first dragon guardian in centuries. We don't know how the birth of the young one will affect the other dragons, but it could give them hope. Combined with your gift as a guardian, there's a possibility that confidence will grow and dragons will reproduce again."

Oh. Good thing they had cleared that up immediately. It wasn't about her personally, but about the continued existence of the dragon world. Which was completely reasonable. Nevertheless, she felt a twinge of disappointment.

"How do you know I'm really a dragon guardian?

Sure, I can hear the young one in the egg, but maybe that's a coincidence, or limited to this one egg.

Why should I, of all people, possess this ability?

As you've already said, I'm not from here.

And in my world, there are neither dragons nor people who help care for their brood. "

He shook his head. "Wrong, Ava, you must originally be from this world. Who are your parents?"

She flinched. Since everyone in the small town where she lived knew her story, no one had asked her about it in a long time.

She lifted her chin. "I don't know them."

Kilian paused, surprised. "Did they die young?"

"No, they abandoned me."

He furrowed his brow. "What do you mean by that?"

Her innermost being roiled, with old wounds threatening to reopen, and a shrill tone rang in her ears. She pushed that aside too, for it only hurt to dwell on it. "I was found when I was nine years old, wandering lost through a forest."

He paused, studying her with a strange look. "At that age, you must remember something that happened before."

"But I can't. Nothing. No one!"

"Ava..." He looked at her sympathetically. But she didn't want his pity, didn't want it from anyone, so she looked outside, her head held high and an unmistakable determination in her voice.

"I know nothing about my origins, and I don't want to know anything about them."

He understood, for he said nothing more.

For a while, they sat silently side by side, looking at the stars.

Ava noticed a stone lying beside her feet.

It shimmered white. She picked it up, ran her fingers along its smooth surface, and put it in her pocket.

Kilian observed this and broke the silence, his voice gentle.

"Who raised you?"

A hidden smile flitted across her features, reconciling her with her past. "A woman found me and took me in. She was like a mother to me, which is why I have to go back. She's old and can't manage on her own. I promised to be there for her, just as she was for me."

"She must be a good woman."

"She is." When she looked at Kilian, he was leaning back on his arms, hands spread to the sides, which somehow felt as if he were embracing her. In his gaze was no pity, but instead an intense feeling that went beyond simple sympathy.

Before the mood could get too heavy, she playfully nudged his arm. "What about you, oh notorious dragon fighter? When you were a boy, was it your goal to be the best and strongest of them all?"

His expression darkened. "Certainly not, but I've accepted my fate." He shot her a fleeting sideways glance that seemed to go deeper and say more, but she didn't understand. He stood up abruptly and pointed to a backpack leaning against the cave wall. "I brought you food."

Taken aback, Ava stood up. His reaction piqued her curiosity more than his brief answer before.

What did he mean by accepting his fate? She observed him attentively, but he had locked away all his emotions behind the hard mask he'd had on when she'd first met him with.

She respected it, although at that moment she would have loved to learn everything about him.

"Thanks for the food, but you didn't have to come especially for that. Allan and Rob brought us supplies."

"Now the food will last for both of you."

As if on cue, her stomach growled. She looked down at her belly. "Traitor."

The dragon rider looked at her, but the smile didn't return to his lips. Rather, it seemed that it was melancholy showing cautiously through the unapproachable mask. "I don't know when I'll be able to come back. Give this to Lilly from me." He held out a coin that gleamed silver.

Ava took it and examined it. The silver coin had a dragon's head on the front and a coat of arms on the back. "Is this a silver piece?"

He nodded, touched his forehead in salute, and merged with the shadows of the rocky cave so quickly that she couldn't say for certain whether he had gone out or in.

But she was certain he had left. She felt it, as crazy as that might have sounded.

Only his scent remained, and the wistful feeling that things weren't going the way their hearts might have wanted.